


Sins of the Fallen

by Georgia_Lia



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Action, Adult Ciel Phantomhive, Character Death, Comedy, FBI Agent Sebastian, Human Sebastian Michaelis, M/M, Mystery, Other, Possible Rape, Prostitude Ciel, Romance, Slow Romance, Slow Updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-07 22:34:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15229401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Georgia_Lia/pseuds/Georgia_Lia
Summary: Looking back at his past, Ciel Phantomhive had a great desire to change the present. If only fate hadn’t turned out this way, placing enormous and complex obstacles in his way, turning his life upside down more than one time. Fortunately or not, time moves forward and he has to keep up.Sebastian Michaelis is a mystery man. No one can tell the difference between a fake and real smile of his, more so in his line of work. But in the end, everyone is wearing a mask to conceal the ugliness beneath a pretty face.Past mistakes can lead to an unpredictable future. It’s amusing how certain events or meetings are connected like an invincible chain and throw the consequences when it is least expected.However, since when was life a fair game?





	1. Chapter 1

A long breath escaped the young man’s lips as he rested his fragile frame on the wall behind him. Ciel Phantomhive felt beyond exhausted at this hour, and he could hear his bed calling sweetly for him from his lone apartment. But he was not able to leave just yet; a job was a job, even if _this_ was the worst of its kind.

Blue eyes took a quick look at the large clock in the bedroom which reeked of dried sperm and was disappointed to see that it was only two in the morning. His shift was to end in about two hours at best, and the young man wasn’t sure if his body will be able to hold out this long. 

“Phantomhive! Where were you all this time? Come out you jackass you have a customer waiting!” the door was abruptly opened and a blonde male entered the dark-lit room, to find the person of his interest in a relaxed position and his face twitched upon this sight. “This ain’t time to sit like a princess, that dude is getting on my nerves because you were nowhere to be found!” he nearly screamed in a forced high-pitched tone. Ciel knew Alois was doing it on purpose.

Here we go again. Even five minutes of much needed relaxation was a luxury. “Don’t bitch so much Alois, my ears are bleeding with that obnoxious voice of yours.” His lips turned upwards on a smirk, which earned an exaggerated growl from his fellow co-worker. “Just get your ass outside before I murder you.” And with that, the other male disappeared from sight the moment he heard his name from possibly another costumer. 

“Well then…” Ciel murmured before fixing his clothing as best as he could. If this disgrace could even be described as decent clothing, that is. Then, he checked himself in the mirror, eyeing the black tight shorts that were almost exposing his most intimate area and the sapphire blue crop top he had to wear with an exposed shoulder. The minor accessories in his hands, face and neck were nicely complimenting his person. At least he didn’t have to wear panties. Ciel already shivered at the less than appealing image he created in his head. Just when he was about to step away, his sharp eye caught a small purple bruise on his lower abdomen.   
Cursing under his breath, the boy moved out of the room in a haste, not even caring anymore. He was sore, tired, sleep-depraved, and probably had to please at least two more men or women before the freedom’s gates could open for him. 

He walked down the small hallway at the back of the brothel and didn’t concern himself with the moaning and harsh pants that crossed his ears from most of the doors he stepped next to. Ciel was long since used to this climate and knew why most of the people were working here in the first place. Reaching the front, where the stages were all filled with women pole-dancing for the wanton eyes of the visitors, the silver-haired male scanned the area for the one who called him. Damn Alois Trancy, he didn’t even give as much as a brief description of the customer Ciel was supposed to take. There were at least a hundred or so people in this god-forsaken place, and the familiar smell of mixed seductive elements and sweat surrounding him wasn’t any benefit to his sour mood. How he wanted to breath oxygen was something no one but he knew.

At least, he will be lucky if the customer never found him. He will throw the blame on Alois, should the boss ask him an explanation. The thought helped to brighten Ciel’s mood if only a little, as he set destination to the bar a few feet ahead. He could use some alcohol and some light chit-chat right about now.

“Hey kiddo, how’s work going?” Bardroy the bartender, smiled a toothy grin at the younger male who came to sat on one of the tall chairs behind the bar and fetched him a nice glass of red wine with black laurel.

Ciel offered a small smile before bringing the cool and sweet liquid to his lips; Bard knew from the start his favorite drink and whenever he made his presence known, the glass was already in front of him. “Shitty, with a taste of rubbish.” He replied bitterly as he took another sip.

The older man snorted at Ciel’s usual mood. “I can imagine. Are you done for the night already?”   
“Nope. Just trying to escape my next customer, although knowing my luck, they can very well be one of the drunkards a few tables to my left.” Ciel murmured, glancing over to a group of males who were undressing him with their intense stares. 

_Disgusting._

“Nah, Lau doesn’t send unstable people to none of you fellas. You know that.” The blonde argued, before he turned his attention to a woman to take her order. “Cheer up little pup; Time will go slower if you sulk and you need the money, no?”

“Unfortunately. And don’t call me “little pup”, I’m anything but little.” Ciel grumped but was aware that his companion was right. But it couldn’t be helped; He wished for nothing more than the privacy of his own room to lock himself and never face the society again.

That would be lovely.

“Oh, my darling robin is that you? I’ve been searching everywhere for you!” a person called behind Ciel and the boy almost chocked on his wine. 

That creep again?

Composing his posture, Ciel turned around as if he wasn’t startled a moment ago. “Hello, Druitt. You have been searching for me, you say?” he gave the other man a charming smile, even though he felt chills on the back of his neck. That man gave off an eccentric aura, and on top that, he had a fetish for taking feminine boys dressed as girls. He wasn’t looking forward to wear those pigtails again. “How unfortunate for you to be searching for me this whole time. Will you let me make it up to you?” he purred sweetly as he let his hand rest on the other man’s thigh.

Druitt smirked, and leaned over to whisper to Ciel’s ear, “Of course, that’s why I prefer you over the other men in here. You’re excellent at taking take of your visitors, little robin.” He licked the earlobe, causing the younger male to let out a small moan.

Even if he felt horribly uneasy towards that man at times, Ciel knew that Druitt’s arousal never lasted long enough to be a pain.

[***]

At four and fifteen after midnight, Ciel stepped outside of the brothel and couldn’t help but breath the much-awaited fresh air of the early morning. The wind felt more forceful than previous nights but was welcomed regardless. He was craving for a shower and the warm blankets of his bed, so he wasted no time in moving forward to the usual destination back home. Today is Saturday and he won’t have to worry about coming back until Monday. 

The main road was mostly empty at this hour, with the morning busses and maybe one or two cars being the exceptions. The boy halted at the bus stop and checked the time on his phone. Four and nineteen. Gratefully he wasn’t late this time around. There were nights where he left the brothel much later than the standard time, because many customers were attending that place for him only and couldn’t bring themselves to settle for something quick. No, Ciel had to endure most of these people for more than two hours, which is the maximum time limit of each costumer. But some of them had a handful of money to spend and Lau never said no to extra cash. That mercenary jerk. 

His prediction was right about Druitt though; It took him only half an hour until he was satisfied. A snicker left the boy’s lips at how… _manly_ that man was by standards. Others could very well be holding for a good hour and more. But Druitt? After only thirty minutes he was worn out.

The familiar sound of the bus approaching distracted the tired man from his thoughts and he entered the transport when it stopped in front of him.   
After sitting to the back of the bus, his face morphed in pain. His bottom was hurting too much from the activities he indulged in. There is no way anyone could get used in having their ass sore from sex. It was just impossible.

He shifted in his seat for a little bit before he settled and yawned. It was becoming a hard task to keep his eyes open and sleeping right then and there wasn’t so much of a bad idea. To his benefit, he was alone besides the driver, so there was no one to interrupt the calming silence in the atmosphere.

Yet, he was wrong. A loud noise as if something exploded startled the young man and his eyes averted to find the source of that noise outside. An eyebrow rose at the scene of a four-story apartment complex being surrounded by fire. It was now starting to develop and faintly, he was able to hear screams of people rushing out of the building to save their lives.

As awful as it may sound to another person, Ciel didn’t really care about these people. It wasn’t uncommon to witness an episode such as this. The news always presented something of the sorts in the television.

The only unnerving thought about the situation, was that his own apartment building was located in the same block as that one but was at the opposite side.   
Quickly, he pressed the button to the next stop, and wasted no time to run when he reached the double doors of the transport the moment it stopped. 

Now the strong wind wasn’t welcomed anymore. The fire was only going to expand and he will be damned if his apartment will be engulfed in it. Ciel didn’t mind the burning in his lungs as he ran to his home. His breaths were coming out short and loud, but he couldn’t afford to lose his house, especially his dog which was waiting for him. No one will care about him and he knew he wasn’t going to be repaid for any disaster. Even if it does happen, the house lord was a bastard. He will keep the money to himself and throw him to the streets.

When he finally reached the front of his apartment complex, he was relieved to see that the fire didn’t approach yet and the characteristic sound of the fire department only helped to ease his worries.

Without even gazing a second time at the panicked mess of the people a few feet ahead, he entered the building and with hasty steps, he went up the stairs to the second floor and unlocked his door at the end of the hallway. A happy bark greeted Ciel and he smiled at his small companion. “Lucy, come here my little girl.” He scooped the puppy in his arms. She licked him on the nose and barked again cheerfully. “Yes, I’m home. I’m not late, am I?” He patted her head with love and care for the little animal. 

Carefully, he closed the door behind him and locked it with one hand, the other still holding the ashy-black dog. Then, he walked to the nearest window to look outside where many people gathered. It seemed that the firemen were able to handle the fire that now began to ease slowly. 

It was a relief; what was he supposed to do if it was his building instead of the other one?

Ciel let the dog on the ground and moved to the kitchen. His stomach was growling for attention and he knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep in this condition. He opened the fridge and took out two fried meatballs and fries to put in the microwave. It was something quick before bed.

Now that the adrenaline was wearing off of his system, Ciel took a deep breath. Sleep was calling to him again and it was much needed at this point.   
When his dinner, or maybe breakfast, was ready, he sat down to the kitchen table and consumed it fast enough so he can go to sleep. Shower be damned, it can wait until he wakes up.

To finish a bit quicker, he even called Lucy to give her a piece of meatball. She accepted it with delight and a happy tail. Then, he took his plate and placed it in the sink, before storming off to his bedroom. A glance to the clock on the opposite wall of the bed read five minutes before five. 

Certainly an improvement compared to other times.

Satisfied with himself, he fell flat on the mattress and groaned in satisfaction. “Finally, at last…” he murmured to himself before closing his eyes and letting the numbness of sleep to lure him away.

Little Lucy followed shortly behind him and climbed on his bed to rest next to him. Once she was also settled, she drifted off as well.

[***]

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sebastian Michaelis was ready to kill someone. Anyone. It didn’t matter who and it didn’t matter the place. He needed to spill blood as much as a baby craved its mother’s milk.

But unfortunately, he knew it will do nothing to save his burning apartment. This day had been anything but good and it only got worse. It was one of those rare nights, where he had to work overtime a case in his office and arrived home the early hours of the morning. 

And tonight of all nights, he just _had_ to be out of the house. There are important case files in there now turning into ash, and all of his belongings along with them. The fire started on the third floor – his floor – and expanded everywhere. The man asked around to discover what happened, and his neighbors only heard a loud explosion that set the apartment complex ablaze.

It was probably a set-up, since he had made a lot of enemies in his line of work. It could have merely been a kid’s mistake to mess around with carbon dioxide but he highly doubted it, especially when it was nearing five in the morning, one of the best times to catch anyone off-guard. The neighbor’s son next door wasn’t dump enough to set the building on fire anyway.

His eyes were constantly on high alert, in case something suspicious catches his attention. There weren’t many people around, only his neighbors who lost their homes and a boy heading to his own house. In fact, he had run until he reached the entrance of the building opposite of his own. Possibly, he feared that his apartment was caught up in this as well, because he looked at both buildings before halting his running. “Lucky him…” Sebastian murmured under his breath and paid no more attention to the possibly underage boy.

Cursing, he took out his phone and dialed a certain number to inform them about the situation. 

“Answer me, Michaelis, do you crave your death so badly or are you a blind idiot? Have you even checked the goddamn hour?” A sleepy voice growled from the other side of the phone and Sebastian couldn’t help the smirk that crept on his face, despite the situation.

“My apartment was set ablaze, Faustus.” He began, choosing not to tease the person on the other line. “Everything burned to ashes along with my recent case files about the abduction. Plus, I have nowhere no go and your house is the only one near mine. So, I called to inform you that I’m heading over.” He answered to him and scanned his surrounding once more, before walking away from the inferno behind him. There is no point in sitting here. The fire will be out by morning and then he will come back to investigate. 

A sigh – or possibly a choice curse – could be heard at Claude’s side just as he replied, “Fine. Come over here but you’ll make breakfast for as long as you’re staying. The spare key is inside a box buried under the flowerpot on the lawn. You won’t hear the end of it if you wake me again.” And with that, the other male hangs up on Sebastian, but he couldn’t care less. Breakfast? That’s hardly payment, but it’s an easy job to take upon, considering he interrupted Claude’s beauty sleep.

It could have been worse.

For the last time, the male turned his scarlet eyes back to the building and took a long breath. There is no point in crying over spilt milk. And so, he dragged his feet back to his jet-black car and pulled away from the scene.

The drive to his partner’s home was about ten minutes away, but Sebastian was going to ride around the town in case someone followed him. It will be no good if he got Claude involved in something he didn’t even partake of. It was his own problem to solve, not his partner’s.

As he was gazing at the road ahead, Sebastian exhaled. The man was exhausted, but giving the situation he found himself in, he knew one thing for sure; if it was indeed a set-up, the bastard who did this was going to pay.

Fifteen minutes later of constantly looking back and forward, the raven-haired male decided that it was enough and headed toward Claude’s home. Today was a very long day and he wanted almost desperately a long shower and a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, he already knew he wasn’t going to have the latter, since it was almost morning time. The sun was just beginning to rise, and work was calling for his assistance.  
“Too bad and I had raised my hopes this time.” Sebastian hissed as a yawn only worsened his state. Well, there goes his sleep.

[***]

A whine could be heard beside Ciel’s side, but the young male was having none of it. He could tell, it was early in the morning and nothing could make him wake up. He turned to the other side of the bed and brought the warm blanket over his head.

Lucy also wasn’t having none of her master’s laziness. She jumped to the other side of the bed and cried in front of his covered face.  
“GetlostLucytooearlyfuryou” the male mumbled and buried his head deeper in the pillow.

This time, the dog barked instead of whining. 

“Goddamn it will you shut up?” Ciel sat suddenly on his bottom and threw a deadly glare at his dog. At the same time, he felt a wave of pain coming straight from his bottom, causing him to wince in his position. Choice curses were dropping like water when Ciel was brutally reminded of his condition.

Little Lucy barked at him again, as if saying no to his previous question, but still crept closer to inspect his hurt figure.

“Tch, daughter of a bastard.” He murmured in defeat, as he slowly rose up from the bed. The dog immediately followed him as well and Ciel could swear to anything holy and unholy, she looked smug while walking forward to the living room. 

A glance at the clock made the young boy groan. It was only twelve in the morning. To early for his taste.

Regardless, he decided to take that shower before taking Lucy outside for her potty. He wasn’t going out while still smelling like shit.

As he entered the bathroom, he threw all of his garments to the floor and proceeded to scan his body again. His last customer after Druitt the previous night wasn’t exactly the ideal gentleman. He took him from behind with almost no preparation whatsoever and forced Ciel to completely submit under him. His lower body had a decent number of bruises and the hickey sitting innocently on his right shoulder was the icing on the cake before his anger threatened to take over. “I will fucking kill him.” he seethed and clenched his fists tightly. “I’ll throw him out the next time I see him and I don’t give a fuck to what Lau will say.” He chuntered to himself as he entered the shower and let himself relax under the water’s calming touch. 

Even if he was furious with the state his body was, the water always provided him with the peace he needed in order to calm down. Being angry or sour all the time wasn’t exactly healthy.

“And having sex every day is not really healthy either…” he sighed, before pouring the shampoo over his hair. As he was washing himself, his thoughts wandered far away to where he imagined he would be at his nineteen when he started attending high-school. Certainly not to where he is currently.

Lucy’s whine was heard yet again, reminding Ciel that he also had a dog to care of. He washed out his hair quickly before proceeding to wash his body. He made sure to clean his intimate area carefully, the painful throb being another reminder. Some painkillers were in order after breakfast. 

Once he was done, he stepped out of the bathtub and grabbed a towel from the closet inside the bathroom. After thoroughly drying himself off, he jogged to the bedroom to put on a hoodie to cover the damn hickey and **normal** pants. He then walked over the living room to wear his sneakers and grabbed Lucy’s leash to connect it with her collar. Somewhere along the way he also grabbed his keys and phone before heading out of the apartment and out to the road. 

Even if it was noon, the atmosphere was chilling for November. The sky was filled with gray clouds, signaling that it will probably rain after a while.

The dog was repeatedly pulling the leash and Ciel’s grip became tighter, so he can keep her in place as they walked onwards. His blue eyes wandered to the burned building from yesterday. Now that the fire was out, the damage was clear as day. From the outside, it seemed like the third and second floor were completely destroyed, while the first and fourth certainly had seen better days. If he wasn’t living in this neighborhood, he would believe that the place almost looked hunted because of the lack of people. 

Curiosity getting the better of him, Ciel approached to see how it looked from the inside. On his way he picked up Lucy to his arms, in case she stepped over ashes or any harmful objects. When he reached the entrance, he noticed the broken glass on the front door. It wasn’t broken to pieces completely, but the large hole was located next to the handle. This could indicate that someone broke in before or after the accident.

A pale hand grasped the handle carefully and twisted it once before it opened. The boy’s eyebrows arched upon this sight. Ciel didn’t actually believe that the door was unlocked. Why would they leave it like that? It was a perfect opportunity for thieves to sneak in and steal anyone’s possessions. Well, possessions that are not destroyed, at least. It couldn’t be, there had to be someone who still had belongings unscathed. 

The random thoughts filled with assumptions only served to irritate the young man. It was beyond him why he bothered with this.

Deciding that playing detective wasn’t as fun as it was when he was a teenager, Ciel entered the building. It didn’t matter to him either way what happened. He only wanted to see how the place was still holding itself. 

When Ciel only but made one step forward, Lucy squirmed in his arms and barked at something behind him. “Hey, cut it out—”

“I don’t recommend you to move a muscle, boy.” A low voice warned a few feet behind Ciel.

…On the other hand, maybe he had to bother himself more with his assumptions.

Upon hearing that voice, Ciel’s body froze as if he was a thief getting caught for stealing. For a moment, he honestly wanted to laugh at his ridiculous mindset. “I swear I’m not a thief.” He replied with the steadiest voice he could manage at the moment. Considering the slight tremble in it as well, he most certainly won’t pass as an actor. Even his tight grip on the dog was starting to tremble when a very specific clicking sound reached his ears.

“Oh? And pray tell, what are you then, little one? Surely you must have a very convincing answer.” The man’s tone was different this time. It sure as hell mocked Ciel, but it sounded more dangerous than what it seemed.

Lucy never stopped barking at the stranger, especially after sensing her master’s fear. Her cries were becoming louder, resulting to the anonymous person to hiss, “But first, make that annoying curve ball to shut up.”

“Hey, don’t talk about her like that! You have no such right.” Fear forgotten for now and anger taking over, Ciel turned around to confront the rude asshole. But he still ordered his dog to become silent. His previous thought was correct when his eyes settled on the gun that was pointed at him. But he tried to ignore it for both his and Lucy’s sake.   
“And if I was a thief, would I have brought a dog along to make it more difficult to slip in unnoticed?” he contradicted, “Even as a cover it’s too much of a hassle. Besides, I live in this neighborhood and was just curious to see what remained of this place. And I’m a fully-fledged adult, mind you.”

The man dressed in black was silent for a moment, as if considering his reasoning. “Then be aware of the fact that curiosity killed the cat,” he responded calmly before tucking away his weapon. “You’re lucky it was me who found you instead of the police, because they’re scanning the area as we talk. You would have passed off as an offender to owned property.”

Ciel’s face deadpanned as the situation progressed. “Speaks the one who drew a gun and is not a police officer.” 

“Maybe, but I’m co-working with them.” The stranger’s lips turned into a smirk.

“And who are you exactly?” The silver-haired male asked, keeping the same tone.

“I think it should be me asking that question instead, big one.”

…Ciel wanted to commit murder. He was so done with him. That man speaks as if mocking and arrogance were his second nature. He won’t be surprised if that turns out to be the case. “Ciel Phantomhive. Caring to be any polite and introduce yourself as well? Or is that word wiped off of your vocabulary?” he mimicked the other man’s mocking tone.

“I think it’s you who is in dying need of learning the meaning of the word “polite”,” the raven-haired male chuckled lowly before stepping forward and raising his hand for a handshake.

“My name though, is Sebastian Michaelis, FBI agent.”


	2. Chapter 2

The smell of fresh pancakes with chocolate syrup and strawberries left Ciel’s mouth watering and his stomach growling. Without even blinking at the waitress as a way of saying “thank you” the young man digs in his breakfast – lunch in reality – like a stray man who had to taste anything good for a week, ignoring completely Sebastian who, right at that moment, was placing a small bite of his own pancakes in his mouth. In a civilian way.

“…When was the last time you’ve eaten anything?” he found himself asking after swallowing.   
Ciel raised his head for a moment to reply a fast, “Something that was tasty? Days. Who said I’m a decent cook?” before resuming his meal.  
Well, at least my money will not go to waste, the older male thought before taking a sip of his water. After his and Ciel’s interesting encounter outside his former apartment, Sebastian decided that he had enough fun of teasing the silver-haired moving bomb. Since he was someone plainly innocent, it was evident that he didn’t know any technics of defending himself, he offered lunch to apologize for drawing his gun at him and insulting his furball that, by the way, was staring at him and low-key growling. 

“Will you please stop looking at my dog like you want to murder her?” His attention was caught by the young man who was raising an eyebrow at him.

“…I’m not the one growling at it.” Sebastian replied calmly as he ate one more bite.

Ciel rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his meal and a comfortable silence settled between them. 

As the time flew by, Sebastian gazed outside and noticed that it had already started raining. Around the duo, people were coming and leaving the small and traditional restaurant, but now most of them were entering the place to find shelter. For a moment, he watched the silver-haired man in front of him and noted the lack of an umbrella on his person. A second look at the mean dog that was now hiding under its master’s chair clearly displayed fear. “Do you want me to drop you outside your house when we leave? I doubt you want your precious furball to get wet.” He suddenly offered at his companion.

At this point, the young man had finished eating and turned his head to the side of the window to observe the weather that was only getting worse. A storm was coming and the first few lightnings served to prove that theory.

“That’s a good idea. But I’m still surprised about the fact that we lived in the same neighborhood yet we never saw each other. Since when you lived there?” came his answer a few moments later. His tone was light but the hidden suspicion was there. His arms and legs were crossed in a guarded position, reminding nothing of the man Sebastian watched eating only mere minutes ago. He had to give the boy some credit for that.

“The last four years actually.” The man responded. “Because I work with the FBI though, I wasn’t really home most of the time. I left in the morning hours and returned late at night if I even had that luxury.” Honest, in Sebastian’s opinion, seemed the most appropriate way to answer. 

Ciel nodded and averted his gaze from Sebastian and bit his lip. “I get where you’re coming from. Mostly I work the night hours and tend to sleep the day away.” He replied nonchalantly by raising his shoulders. Then, he picked up his dog to pet it before his sapphire eyes met Sebastian’s scarlet ones. “FBI you said. Now that reminds me, how old are you? You don’t look much older than me.” 

“Currently I’m twenty-five years old. I work for the FBI since I was twenty.” Sebastian’s lips upturned to a smile. “Anything else you want to know curious one?” he purposefully lowered his tone to tease the younger male. It seemed to work, because Ciel was rolling his eyes once again.

“And here I thought that this cheeky attitude of yours was just display.” He backfired in an amused voice. “Tell me, agent Michaelis, do you always point your gun at total strangers and bully them?” Ciel leaned forward as he was talking and rested his elbows on the table.

Sebastian’s smile became a smirk as he saw the dog jumping off Ciel’s lap over the action. “Yes, because I’m a big fat bully that feeds off of human emotions. Didn’t I tell you that?”

Ciel was sitting still for a moment after that. Then a chuckle left his mouth and hid his face with one hand, breaking the seductive act. “Nope, you didn’t. But you sure are a funny guy.” He leaned back in his seat, a small smile on his face.

“Jokes aside though, how about telling me something about yourself as well?” Sebastian inclined after another sip of water. Ciel Phantomhive seemed like an interesting person and he would be lying to himself that his attitude wasn’t intriguing at all. And so, with crossed legs and curious eyes, he awaited the answer.

For a moment, the younger male trailed his eyes around the room as if thinking before starring back at Sebastian with a more relaxed expression. “Well, I finished high school last year and even though I had a college in mind that I was deadest on going, money was never enough. So, after graduating I set off to work and live a simple life. Satisfied?” 

“Very,” Sebastian nodded his head towards him. “So, since you didn’t go to college, are you working to a local store or something?”

This time, Ciel wasn’t as relaxed as before. His sapphire orbs purposefully avoided him and found their own shelter to the world outside of the window. Although quickly enough, very quickly, Ciel offered him a smile that was anything but the one he gave the older man a few minutes ago.

It was…fake, by all standards. It froze Sebastian to the spot for a second. Especially his guarded gaze that did not give away anything about his thoughts or feelings. Was there anything wrong with his question? 

“You could put it that way. Although my personal business has nothing to do with you.” Ciel stated with an uncomfortably calm voice. “Nice to meet you Sebastian, but I have to go for now. Responsibilities calling, you see” the man got up from his chair and even if it was only an inch of a moment, Sebastian noticed an almost none existed wince radiating from him as he stands on his feet. He noticed it again earlier when he sat. The same wince. 

“I understand. Nice to meet you too Ciel,” the raven-haired mimicked the other’s actions and gave him his usual business smile, “But didn’t you agree on me returning you home?”  
“Oh, um, it’s not necessary. I don’t want to you go out of your way anymore than you did for a stranger.” Ciel politely reclined his offer and turned his attention to his dog to usher it out of the little restaurant.

It was then when Sebastian realised it. He shouldn’t pursue him anymore than he did already. It was evident that Ciel wished to leave. But, there was something that stood out in his mind.

“So, have a nice day, Sebastian.” Ciel waved and walked off towards the neighborhood with little Lucy at his side.   
“You too, Ciel.” He murmured more to himself and let out a deep sigh.

Sebastian was certain that something felt odd about Ciel Phantomhive. Even so, he wasn’t going to investigate him any further, the boy had nothing to do with him in the first place. He is an agent, not a cop.

But, as the younger one disappeared from his point of view, the agent took notice of the still cloudy sky and the chilling atmosphere around him as more droplets of water began to pour, as well as more lightnings appeared with every passing second.  
There was definitely a storm coming. 

[***]

As Sebastian entered Claude’s one-story house, he immediately took notice of the man sleeping away happily on the couch. A deep sigh flew from his lips because the raven-haired was very tempted to grab the bucket from the bathroom, fill it with ice-cold water and pour it all over his partner’s body.

“Unbelievable…” he murmured before, sadly, ignoring his desires and settles to just kneel down beside the sleeping beauty to wake him up. Then, his eye spotted Claude’s gun resting on his stomach and a better idea upturned the corners of his mouth to a smirk. 

Carefully, he got a hold of the revolver and after checking the magazine for a few bullets, he pointed the dangerous weapon towards the wall and pulled the trigger. 

To the loud sound of the gun, Faustus jumped from the couch with eyes wide open and hands instinctively searching all over his body for any injury or possibly his gun. Maybe both.

“Good afternoon Claude”, the devil in disguise offered a toothy grin towards the shocked man on the floor.

“What- Why the fuck did you do that?!” quickly, he got up from the floor to take back his gun, but Sebastian gracefully glided to the other side, avoiding the man’s death-blow on the face. 

“Firstly, because you’re lazy,” he half-joked, “secondly, because you are way too open for an enemy attack. It was painfully easy for me to take your gun from you and shoot. You would have been dead, if an enemy was here instead of me.” His tone instantly lowered before placing the gun on the coffee table. “and third, because you were supposed to be checking the kidnaping case files. It’s almost twenty-four hours after the ninth child was taken and your lazy ass is sleeping. Isn’t that just lovely?”

Claude snickered before answering “Aren’t you an overprotecting mom, Sebastian? I can take care of myself thank you very much. By the way, who said I haven’t checked them?” the golden-eyed man crossed his arms as he made on step closer to his dreadfully annoying partner. “Do you think I was having “fun” in a whorehouse or anything? I was trying to find a connection between the victim and the kidnapper but to me, it seems that this incident has nothing to do with our man. All the kids that are connected with the man are between the ages of ten to fifteen, and the abductions took place within long time periods.

“There is literally no connection at all with our current case, because she’s a five-year-old girl with divorced parents. The father wanted to see his daughter but the mother was repeatedly rejecting his requests and this abduction took place only a day after the previous one. And the father is nowhere to be found. I suggest giving this case to the police already, it’s fairly obvious…except if you found something that ended up being ash in your apartment~,” he sang the last sentence and turned around to enter the kitchen a few feet ahead.

Sebastian’s expression turned blank as he followed the slightly younger adult. Then, a smirk formed in his lips when he opened the fridge next to Claude who was just beginning to wash the dishes. “Actually, even if I had found anything about the connection, you would know that by now. Everything is inside here after all,” he points to his head, smirk still in its place. “Honestly, the only reason I keep files is for evidence purposes.” he took a few ingredients when the man decided what he should cook for dinner.

“So, if you’re keeping all information in that messed up head of yours then we certainly aren’t anywhere close to find the kidnapper,” Claude retorted smugly and glanced towards the other man.

“Or so you’d like to think.” Said man winked in response. “But I agree; this girl’s disappearance should be handled by the police. We have more pressing matters at hand. We know that these serial kidnappings cannot be a one-man job. We should look over what we have later.” Sebastian finished talking and his temporary roommate nodded in understanding.

A comfortable silence settled over the duo as each male occupied himself with his task for now. Should anything unexpected happen and another child is abducted, both men will still do the best in their power to end this nightmare for many families and underage adolescents. Surely, no child is obligated to go through such torment in such a fragile stage of their lives. 

For a fragile inch of a moment, a memory buried deep within rises and Sebastian's movements alter, but quickly regained full control and resumed the dish he was currently cooking. Choosing the easy method of buriyng it again to the back of his mind, the raven-haired agent acted as if nothing had ever happened. And fortunately enough, Claude did not notice.

[***]

_Okay, let’s see…I need dogfood for Lucy, a few basic ingredients to actually cook for a change, a few chocolate bars and maybe a box or Earl Grey is in order… Maybe could I add two or three packs of spaghetti and tomato sauce?_

The young Phantomhive listed everything he needed in his head before entering the local market store. Since he received his payment a few days prior, now he had the chance to fill his almost empty kitchen. As much as he loved pizza and canned noodles, he had to change his diet in order to maintain the physic condition of his body. The boy already gained a few extra pounds and that wouldn’t do any good in his working environment. He has to weight almost ten pounds less than his height, something that in reality, he was fully against to. 

Ceasing his thoughts for a moment, Ciel greeted Finny from afar, the one of the three clerks who work there. Then, he took a chart and began to walk around the store to get what he needed.

_Why do I have to look like those models that obviously are in severe need of extra weight? I’m beginning to question Lau’s mentality as time goes by… He cannot be satisfied by looking at all of us who are skinnier than average. I seriously need to find a better job at some point. I don’t want to have to worry about my health as well. But even so, working in that…place, has given me more money than I could ever find in a normal job. Plus it gives me what I need to take care of her, so I need all the money I can get._

Ciel grabbed a bottle of milk and carefully placed it inside his chart. After checking the product on his mental list, the young man walked towards another corridor of the local market to get the last product for said list.

The young man sighed. _I assume I just have to bear with it for a while…_

When he turned to enter the pathway, his figure paused in shock and his normally expressionless face morphed into one of pure surprise.

_Shit. Of **all** the places I could ran onto him!_

Thankfully for the silver-haired male, Druitt had his back facing him and hadn’t noticed his presence. Ciel was about to walk backwards to avoid an anything but pleasant meeting, Earl Grey be damned. He can always come by tomorrow. The last thing Ciel wanted, was for one of his costumers to recognize him in a place he is often visiting. God only knows if they will show any kind of respect for his dignity.

But he stopped dead in his tracks as the blonde man bend over to whisper to his companion. It was then that Ciel noticed he was talking to a child. Well, it’s not odd for a child and an adult to have a conversation for God’s sake, but there were two things wrong about the situation.

One, the child’s dark skin suggested that she and the Englishman had not any relation between them. What made this odd, is that Druitt had expressed his displeasure towards any none-English human once in the brothel. 

Two, Druitt was uncomfortably close to the little girl that seemed to be no more than ten to twelve years old. She almost seemed kind of tense.

Just as Ciel was about to walk closer to the unusual pair, a woman’s voice echoed from a few corridors to his right, calling for her daughter. The child immediately backed away and ran towards the source of the voice, leaving Druitt behind.

Ciel observed the man’s hand that formed into a fist, but that was the only move he made for a few seconds. Deciding that he stood there longer than necessary, Ciel tiptoed to the opposite direction from the older male who was still, fortunately, unaware of him. He didn’t want to push his luck.

While he was walking normally after he created a safe distance, a thought passed the boy’s mind that made his eyes to wander around the store. He noticed that there were no cameras…at all. When he reached the cash desks to the front of the market, Ciel approached Finny to both check out his groceries and ask him a question.

“Good afternoon Finny,” he formally greeted the smiling clerk.

“Good afternoon Ciel! How’s it going? It’s been many days since the last time I saw you!” The slightly older adult exclaimed happily as he took and started to check the products.  
The boy quickly and discreetly looked around for any sight of the blonde man. He seemed to be nowhere in his peripheral vision. That’s a good thing for now. “Pretty well for the most part, even though work takes a lot of energy from me,” he casually replied with a tired smile.

Finny chuckled lightly, “As all of us. But I enjoy my work here. From a certain perspective, is kind of relaxing.” He replied.

Ciel raised an eyebrow at that statement, yet found the opportunity to ask, “By relaxing, you mean that all the workers are at ease because of security?” he tilted his head to the side.

“No silly, it’s because I like talking to people! It’s actually refreshing. Although we do have a problem with our surveillance system at the moment. It is a bit unnerving not knowing if a thief is on the loose, so we’re going to have it fixed by tomorrow!” he offered the shorter male a smile before stating the cost of the groceries. 

_So, there are indeed no cameras…_

A few minutes passed as Ciel paid for his stuff and bit his farewell to Finny. Now he was on the road to his apartment, groceries inside plastic bags.

_What the hell was **that?** What Druitt could possibly want from a little kid? Said kid looked kind of tense from where I was watching, but I’m not so sure. But when the mother called for her, she immediately left. And Druitt’s reaction was the oddest thing out of all. It’s not my business, though I cannot say I’m not curious…this was a bit weird. Maybe they were acquainted?_

_No…could it be?_

Ciel’s mood darkened from all the possible scenarios that flew through his mind. As he walked, he didn’t even notice that he was almost outside his apartment. Gazing at the sunset for a moment, the young man inhaled deeply and then exhaled. He shouldn’t be thinking about what Druitt does with his personal life. In many situations, nothing is what it seems and the whole scene he witnessed could be in reality harmless to the child. 

In the end, Ciel Phantomhive had his own problems to deal with. 

“Hey Ciel!” a warm female voice was heard from the opposite street and Ciel turned slightly to greet his friend which was approaching his side. A beautiful young girl of seventeen years with long raven hair that hold a glint of green to them and piercing emerald eyes that are always the certain of anyone’s attention. A smile was presented on her face as the girl made her way towards him.

“Hey Sieglinde. Just on time I see.” 

“Of course. Don’t tell me you expected anything less. Especially after what you told me on the phone! Gimme these,” she paused to take two bags from him and together entered the apartment complex. “Is he any good-looking?” the slightly shorter girl asked rather loudly with excitement as the duo climbed the stairs and reached Ciel’s door in record time.

Ciel gave Sieglide a pointed glare for asking personal questions in the middle of the hallway. It’s not necessary for his neighbors to know what’s going on in his personal life. “If you lower your voice I’ll consider answering you.” He mumbled moodily before unlocking his door.

“Oops. Sorry,” she anxiously laughed and her curious gaze searched the area around them to see if anyone overheard her. When Ciel opened his door, she took a hold of the two bags and followed her friend inside, and a smile formed on her face upon seeing the cute little dog. “hello Lucy!” her tone became gentler as well as her expression softened.   
“Let’s get these to the kitchen,” Ciel jabbed her and walked towards his destination with Sieglinde – and Lucy – following him closely behind.

“Soo, are you going to answer my question?” the girl dared to ask as she helped Ciel with placing each product in its position. 

The boy took the spaghettis from her hands and put them inside the cupboard. His eyes travelled to the floor next to her, thinking about the raven-haired male. Sure, his long bangs on the front of his face were complimenting him nicely, the fiery red eyes of his are able to stunt you to the spot and that smirk of his can be described as captivating. His alabaster skin was flawless, without a single wrinkle or scar that expressed further information about the man. The expressions he gave off were those of confidence and of a man with great stature. Well, he said so himself, he is an FBI agent. “Yes…he is quite the catch, based from his looks.” He quietly replied after a long moment of silence. 

That response caused Sieglinde’s expression to lit up and quickly gave Ciel Lucy’s dogfood, the last thing the male had to place in its respective position. “And? How did you meet? Did you give him your number? Do you have his? What’s his name anyway?” she jumped from her position overjoyed and grabbed Ciel’s arm to drag him towards the living room as she listed all of her questions at the same time. “Is he taller than you? Older than you? Is he sexy?”

Poor Ciel almost had a heart attack at the teen’s straightforward moves and questions. He almost stumbled on his own feet as the woman practically forced him to sit down on one of the two couches and her siting at the opposite seat. After two years of friendship, anyone would think that Ciel has gotten used to Sieglinde’s energetic and somewhat bumbling personality, but the young man concluded all too soon to one thing: Sieglinde Sullivan is unpredictable.

“Why do you get so excited over I guy I merely mentioned over the phone?” he decides to ask instead of answering anything with a raised eyebrow. 

“Because this is the first time you ever talk about someone else besides the annoying lust-filled customers at work.”

“And that’s important because…?”

“Oh, come on Ciel! You brushed him off as a rude bastard and when you talk like that, I know something fishy is going on. I’m expecting some answers here!” she persisted with a mischievous smile dancing on her face. She comfortably crossed her legs Indian style and patiently waited for her response. “ _And_ , you rarely talk to any stranger.” She added in the end as a matter of fact.

Ciel took his time to take a deep breath as he processed her first question. “well, if someone pointed a _gun_ at your face, I assume you would have said something, no?” he finally replied, irony being a noticeable undertone.

“What?” Sieglinde’s eyes widened in bewilderment. “He pointed a gun at you? Are you kidding me?” her voice was increasing many octaves with every word that was uttered from her mouth.

“Nope. He thought I was someone suspicious when I stepped inside the _burned_ apartment complex. He is an FBI agent and I was _trespassing_ his home since he lives there. Well, _lived_ , to put it correctly.” The young man continuously exaggerated the unnecessary actions of Sebastian Michaelis that nearly gave him a heart attack.

“Wai-wait, he is also a _neighbor_ of yours? Woah, that certainly says a lot about **you** Ciel…no harm intended.” She bluntly stated the first thought that invented her mind, but when realization hit her, the green-eyed teenager ignored Ciel’s offended expression and cut him off before he was able to speak, “And he works for the FBI? Did he hurt you?!”

“If you let me finish, I was getting to that! And stop with the insults, will you?” he glared his murderous intent towards the girl with no effort to hide it whatsoever. “No and he even apologized by treating me pancakes at noon. His name is Sebastian Michaelis, by the way.”

Sieglinde’s shoulders relaxed upon being reassured for her friend’s safety. Her frame touched the backside of the couch and sighed. At that moment, her cheeky smile returned and her eyes shone in a new wave of excitement.

Ciel was certain now: his doom is near.

“Then, how did it go?” she proposed her question in a calmer fashion than before, fortunately for the older boy.

“At first it was fine…but later on he asked me questions about myself, and I wasn’t comfortable enough to answer all of them. I could have come up with a clever response, but his eyes were literally scanning me.” Ciel felt his irritation towards Sebastian growing bigger. Soon enough though, he realized that his anger was not directed at the stranger, but rather at himself. “Actually no. Sebastian was just curious to learn more about me. It was me who is suspicious of every living being in the world and simple keep my mouth shut.” His eyebrows furrowed into a straight line deep in thought. 

The girl’s cheeky smile dropped slightly to a gentler one the moment she began to massage Ciel’s shoulders in a comforting way. Her body inched closer to the boy’s in order to be more comfortable as her hands slowly but steadily unlocked the knots presented under his skin and took pride in herself when Ciel quietly moaned. “Hey, don’t be like that. We all make mistakes when socializing. You should try be a _bit_ friendly if you meet him again. You know, for a change.” 

“Is that irony I detect in your voice, dear friend?”

“I don’t know. I merely speak the truth.”

The rest of this evening unfolded with the two friends laughing for small matters, discussing about the days that trespassed since the last time both of them found the time to talk in more relaxed manner, instead of the routine of “which guest in the brothel shall accompany who.” 

For Ciel considers Sieglinde the only real friend he obtained over the course of his nineteen years. The only one who chose to be there for him in both good and bad times, or else, life would have been quite boring. Having someone with a bubbly personality brings many unexpected events, smiles, uncontrollable laughter or embarrassment.

The young man offered the teenage girl a roll of his eyes at the lewd jokes she began to crack every now and then, but still smiled a cheeky one when he responded in an equal way. His sapphire gaze returned to a large window for the second time this day, only to watch as the first droplets of the upcoming storm were pouring over the clean glass.

And, as the rest of the London was invaded by the storm, a figure was lurking in the shadows, only mere feet away from a little girl who was happening to play longer in the park than ordinary. Now the girl, running back home to conceal herself from the pouring rain, was not at all aware of what was going to occur. She merely knew that her mother was going to scold her for being late again, always going on and on about bad men who steal children and for that reason, she had to return home early. But the minute hand of the clock nearly reached ten o’clock in the evening, much too late the estimated time for a young adolescent.

The moment the small girl entered a dark alleyway leading to a shorter route, the shadow of a man followed suit after, looming ever nearer the fragile human.

When the hand at last struck ten, the girl was running no more…

…and the storm roared loudly its first strike in the long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. I'm currently dealing with personal issues (and honest, pure laziness) that created a nice little, annoying, writer's block in my head. I knew what I wanted to write, but I just couldn't do it. 
> 
> Aaaand yeah my final year at school started and I can't get away from math ;-; they take so much precious time from my life it's tragic I tell you! (I like to exaggerate okay? Please bear with me XD). Though computer study is my relief subject, honestly.
> 
> To conclude, I have no idea when I'm going to update this story. I won't give it up, (I'm hyped myself to write what comes next) but it will take some time until my next update (I'm SO SORRY for that!).
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! ^-^


End file.
